You Know What They Say About Paybacks
by Kodiak Bear Country
Summary: [COMPLETE]Shepard and McKay are the catalyst behind Weir sending them on an assignment geared towards a little revenge, unfortunately, things aren't so harmless on the planet.
1. Oops!

Author's Note: This, along with chapters 2 and 3, are edited replacements, fixing some areas I didn't like.

****

* * *

**You Know What They Say About Paybacks**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Oops!**

* * *

Doctor Elizabeth Weir was walking through the halls of Atlantis. It never ceased to amaze her at the pristine condition of the city. Lost for millions of years, submerged beneath tons of water, it had escaped virtually unscathed, waiting the return of the Ancients, or their descendants, the people of Earth. She could still remember the awe she felt when President Hayes had introduced her to the Stargate. Not in her wildest dreams had she envisioned a future like this. 

In the morning she liked to do a short walk-through, at least the main areas, and see that things were running smoothly, and everything was right with her little corner of the galaxy. Some day she hoped to take General O'Neill on a tour, since he was directly responsible for them being here.

"Wait!" She heard a voice float towards her. She recognized it as Major John Sheppard's, "Don't go yet!"

_Oh no_, she groaned inwardly, John and Rodney were continually throwing her off guard, two little kids exploring the worlds most technically advanced toy box. Most of the devices were harmless but that shield device had had her worried, for a little while.

She breached the command balcony and looked down, seeing John getting ready to toss a round object towards Rodney, who was standing as far away from him as the room allowed, behind the gate.

"I can't go back any further. Wait...why don't we dial..." McKay was thinking of something. Weir figured it might be time to intervene, when John tossed the device, sending it hurtling through the air at Rodney.

"Heads up!" Sheppard hollered, amused as McKay dashed forward to try and catch the device.

"Major! Rodney!" Weir snapped, rushing down the stairs.

McKay's attention was diverted, and he let the disk slide past him, where it ricocheted off the back wall, and went straight for Weir, colliding with a solid hit, sending her to the ground in what had to have been a millisecond.

Sheppard and McKay gaped at the scene before them. "This can't be good." McKay swallowed, "Get a med team down here, now!" He yelled, and approached the limp form lying on the ground.

Weir was breathing but she was sporting a huge knot growing to mammoth proportions in front of their eyes. Sheppard breathed out, "Ouch."

"You are dead." McKay said.

"Me? If you had caught it like you were supposed to this never would've happened."

"That doesn't count, she distracted me! It's not like I wouldn't have caught it." He accused.

Dr. Beckett approached the fallen leader of their expedition, catching the tail end of Sheppard and McKay's conversation, staring at them in stunned fascination, "What did you do?" He kneeled in near Weir and let out an appreciative whistle, "That's got to hurt."

He waved for the stretcher, and let his tech's get her settled, turning to the two men, standing guiltily behind him, "Which one of you _did_ it?"

Both raised fingers and pointed at the other.

"If I were you two, I'd find the remotest room in the city..." Beckett advised solemnly, "...possibly you should dial another planet." He shook his head in disbelief, and followed the stretcher out of the room.

* * *

Weir's head hurt. She tried to recall why it was hurting. She had been walking through the halls, doing her morning routine...Sheppard! He and McKay were goofing around with some Ancients device. She let out a groan, "Those two are going to get it." She muttered.

"I don't doubt that. How do you feel?"

Weir opened her eyes, surprised to see Carson sitting near. "I didn't know you were here."

"Sure you didn't. I won't tell." He looked at her critically, "That was quite a hit you took. How many fingers?" He held up two.

Weir pushed herself up gingerly, "Two."

Beckett changed his fingers to four, "Wrong."

"Not funny."

Carson swallowed, "Sorry." He put his hands down quickly.

"Speaking of not funny, where is the dangerous duo?"

"I think they're hiding. Didn't want to be around when you woke up." Carson's face wrinkled into a smile, "I wouldn't want to either."

Weir had a thought, and she couldn't stop the grin from spreading, no matter how much pain the movement of her facial muscles caused, she had a _very_ good idea.

"You're not going to do anything drastic...are you?" Carson asked, half-afraid for his friends.

"I've just thought of the perfect mission for them."

* * *

"You're kidding, right?" McKay looked hopeful at Weir, who was standing arms crossed and face firm, in front of the dialing device.

"No, I'm not."

McKay, Sheppard, Teyla and Ford were geared up and ready to go. Weir had informed them of their newest mission and told them to be ready to gate out at 0800 hours. Actually, Ford had found McKay and Sheppard, and passed on the news. They had been staying out of sight ever since the Frisbee incident.

Even now, Sheppard couldn't hold back the involuntary wince when he looked at the goose egg on Weir's head, smack in the middle. He was surprised she hadn't made them scrub the Ancients version of a toilet with their toothbrushes. Thankfully, she wasn't military.

But _this_...this wasn't much better. "It's a wasteland. There's nothing there." John protested, showing a rare solidarity with McKay.

Elizabeth grinned, "Really?" She drawled, "Maybe you should take your...Frisbee...with you."

"Oh, I get it. Very funny. Come on!" McKay cried, "We said we were sorry."

Weir just kept grinning, "Peter, dial it up." Then she turned and marched out.

"I don't believe this." McKay said.

"You don't believe it? Teyla and I didn't do anything, and we're stuck on this trip with you two." Ford rolled his eyes, and shifted his pack.

"It won't be so bad; a little digging in the dirt, wandering in the waste...then we'll gate home." Sheppard offered, optimistic.

Teyla fixed an irritated look on Sheppard, "Next time watch where you play with your _toys_."

The wormhole flared to life, the vortex established with the violent disgorgement of the blue puddle. "It won't be so bad." Sheppard promised, walking backwards towards the event horizon of the wormhole. "_Really_." His body disappeared; the last thing they saw was a confident grin.

"Famous last words...doesn't he know that? You _never_ start a mission saying that." McKay groused, following him through.

Ford and Teyla shared a bemused look, then jumped through together. Sheppard had better be right.


	2. Where Are We?

Author's Note: Edited version of chapter 2.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Where Are We?**

* * *

"Fan out, Ford watch our six. Teyla, keep an...eye...or whatever it is you do, for the wraith." Sheppard ordered, heading in a straight direction away from the gate.

"Fan?" Teyla was standing where the gate had left her.

Ford leaned back towards her, "It means spread out...you know, don't stay all bunched up."

"I see...less of a target?"

"Exactly."

McKay looked over his shoulder from his position near Sheppard, "Less talk, more walk."

He didn't see the dirty look Ford shot him because he had returned his eyes to the front, viewing the landscape they were supposed to survey, in search of a ZPM. He didn't think they'd find anything but an insect or two, if that. When Sheppard had said wasteland, he hadn't been exaggerating. It looked like this planet had suffered some type of catastrophic nuclear fall-out. The ground was as barren as Earth's moon; the dirt loose and almost sand-like, except it lacked any cohesive elements. You wouldn't be able to grow a weed in this place.

Sheppard had come to similar conclusions, viewing the vista before him with disgust, "Whatever happened here was devastating. There's nothing left." He dropped his arm off his weapon, seeing no sign of hostile welcome parties, "At least this should be quick."

"Major!"

Sheppard twisted on his boot heel, Ford was about seven meters behind, and pointing at the sky behind the Stargate, where some type of ship was rapidly approaching in the thin atmosphere.

He tapped McKay on his shoulder, and pointed towards the ship. "McKay, what do you think of that?"

"I think we're screwed." He looked around, nowhere to hide; they were out in the open, sitting ducks.

"You don't know their hostile?" Sheppard had closed the gap between him and Ford and Teyla, with McKay wisely following, "Teyla, that doesn't look like a wraith ship?"

Teyla squinted as light reflected from the ship's hull as it drew nearer, "No, it does not."

The ship hovered briefly before setting down a couple of meters behind the gate. All eyes were fixed on the side where they could make out the lines of a hatch, adrenaline singing through their bodies. Sheppard unconsciously fingered his weapon, the other hand cupped over his eyes, keeping the glare from blinding him.

Sheppard watched as the hatch opened with a soft hiss, lowering gently to the ground, letting a puff of dirt float away from the impact; _never grow anything here_, Sheppard thought, not realizing he was repeating McKay's earlier assessment.

He looked over at McKay, who was watching with nervous anticipation. "Don't look so happy." Sheppard hissed.

"I can't help it. It's nerves. I never look happy except when I'm nervous."

"Let's hope they don't shoot first, talk later." Ford whispered.

A figure emerged from the ship. The height was what you would expect from your average human, they were bipedal, two arms-two legs...but they were wearing some type of space suit. "Oh God, we're on a moon." McKay groaned.

Teyla looked at McKay, "You are familiar with this person?"

"No, he's not." Sheppard said, "The thing the alien's wearing, it looks like space suits back home. This planet has a surface that looks like our moon. McKay is making a joke...a bad joke."

"Major, he...it...whatever, is almost here." Ford said, sotto voice, under his breath, unsure if the alien could hear them or not.

Sheppard steadied his nerves. He could do this. General O'Neill had been doing it for years and was still alive to tell about it. It was a spaceman, not a wraith; it looked harmless. He stepped forward, "Hello."

The alien came to a stop feet from Sheppard, and stared at the Major. His face plate was mirrored glass, reminded him of the kind they had back home, to keep their eyes safe from the damaging rays of UV radiation. He didn't move or speak but studied Sheppard for seconds that was ticking into minutes. Sheppard fidgeted nervously, "This isn't going so well."

"Maybe you should back up?" McKay said. "I don't think this is good."

"Yeah." Sheppard began to inch back towards his team, which spurred the alien into movement. He reached onto his vest and pushed a button. A blue flash, and Sheppard was surprised to find he was flat on the ground. He forced his eyes to stay open, and rolled towards the others, finding them lying in the same condition. He groaned, and rolled back, seeing the alien peering down at him. The alien made another movement, and a second blue flash sent him into complete darkness.

* * *

"Major Sheppard." A voice was calling at him relentlessly, worse than a mosquito buzzing around looking for a nice meal, "John!"

He groaned. He didn't want to wake up. His head felt like it had been used as a battering ram. His stomach flipped. "Go away." He ordered, hoping that would send the person away.

"You must wake up. We've been captured."

He identified the voice, Teyla. The past events played back, and he wished they hadn't. This wasn't a good start to a mission. "Teyla." He grunted, and opened his eyes. She was sitting next to his side, looking at him, worried.

"We couldn't get you to wake." She said, "McKay and Ford are exploring this place."

"Place?" He sat up, and immediately regretted it, "I'm going to be sick." He lurched to the side and retched painfully. "Oh God." He muttered, resting his head against the wall, when he had finished.

He saw Teyla was watching him, upset. He must look worse than he felt. "I'll be all right." He reassured.

"None of us have been this ill."

"I think they shot me twice." He let his eyes close, hoping it would ease the rolling waves of nausea, "I saw that blue flash after we were all down the first time. I don't think they liked me looking at them after the first one."

"How's he doing?" Ford asked, coming back into the alcove they had found themselves occupying, when they had awoken from the stun gun, or whatever it was that had shot them.

Sheppard heard Ford, and opened his eyes again, seeing Teyla pull Ford aside, whispering about his condition. _Damn it_, he hated being treated like an invalid, "_He's_ fine!"

Ford looked over Teyla's shoulder, "Whatever you say Major." He listened to Teyla finish what she was saying, and headed towards him, wrinkling his nose at the smell, "How many fingers?"

Sheppard glared, "Two."

Ford dropped his hand, "Good. Maybe you should stay down...for a while."

Sheppard cracked an eye, "I'm not planning on moving anytime soon."

"How is he?" McKay asked, coming into their little nook.

"_He's_ fine." Sheppard tried to appear better than he was, "What did you find?"

McKay stared at him, "You look awful."

"Thanks McKay...you look...exceptional as well." Sheppard drawled, irritated. "_What_ did you find?"

"Aside from the fact that we're in some type of prison?" He asked, a wry twist to his lips, "Nothing." McKay found a spot on the wall, far away from Sheppard's location, and dropped down.

"We're in a prison?" Sheppard grimaced as another bout of queasiness assailed him, "This sucks."

"Oh yeah." Ford agreed.


	3. Meet and Greet

Author's Note: Edited version of chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Meet and Greet**

* * *

"Are you feeling better?" Teyla asked Sheppard, looking over from her position along the wall, beside Ford.

Sheppard had moved to a sitting position, but looked like he was recovering from a weekend-long bender, "Yes. Loads."

Teyla wasn't up on the idiosyncrasies of sarcasm, but she caught the tone of voice indicating he wasn't exactly feeling that much better. "Should we not try to get out of here?"

"How?" Ford raised his head off his knees, "Solid rock makes for a pretty good prison."

"How big is this place anyway?" Sheppard asked, contemplating standing.

Ford was watching him, not sure he should be attempting any type of movement, "Not that big. We seem to be alone. There's more than one room like this one. I think there used to be more prisoners before us."

"McKay?" Sheppard looked at Rodney for input.

"Do I look like Fred Flinstone? My degree is in physics, not geology." He grimaced, "I don't have a clue how to get out of here."

"Swell." Sheppard figured now or never, and pushed himself upwards, "Teyla..." He called when he realized he would need help.

She hurried to his side, and gave him the leverage to stand. "Thanks." He smiled shakily.

"What are you doing?" McKay looked at him suspiciously.

"I'm going to get us out of here."

"Major?" Ford untangled himself and stood.

"Make enough noise...and the guards should come to see what's all the commotion." Sheppard paused, "At least, we hope."

He clambered out of the alcove and entered the main hall of the prison. He could see at least four other chambers, and at the end of the hall, a stout iron cell door. He headed for the door, on a slightly skewed path, still recovering from the effects. He made a mental note to not get shot again.

He grasped the bars, aware that Ford, Teyla and McKay were standing behind him, watching. He needed something to make noise with. He dropped his hands, and twisted to look at the hall, "Teyla, hand me that torch." There were torches hanging on the rock walls, looking like something out of a gothic novel.

Teyla grabbed one and handed it over. He began knocking it violently against the bars, covering his one ear with his free hand. If this didn't do it, he didn't know what else they could do.

He was rewarded by a male figure approaching from the long hall they could see through the bars. The guy looked like them, human, so that was good. Didn't mean they weren't capable of giving them all a very bad day, but they weren't wraith.

"Hey! We want to talk to you!" He shouted, letting the torch stick drop by his side.

The man came closer, staring at Sheppard, "You are awake." He said, stating the obvious, but he produced a set of keys and a weapon, opening the door, while keeping the weapon trained on Sheppard. "I wouldn't try anything. You've all ready had two shots and have been ill. One more, and you'll wish you were dead."

Sheppard wasn't sure about that, but he wasn't willing to test the guy's threat. He nodded, "Okay..."

The guy waved them through; Sheppard glanced back making sure the rest were following. "So...who are you?"

"Be quiet."

"Come on, throw me a bone here." Sheppard grouched, not impressed.

"It's not my job to answer your questions." The guy was irritable, like some prison guard doing a job because they need the pay, and for no other reason. Sheppard could tell he'd just as soon shoot them as escort them to wherever he was taking them. He thought maybe he could throw the man off track by trying another tactic.

"It's not like I'm asking for your phone number, social security...driver's license."

The guy stared at him, confused, "Phone...number?"

"Forget it." Sheppard waved a hand forward, "Take us to your leader." He grinned at Ford's chuckle and McKay's groan.

"Is this wise?" Teyla whispered, darting an apprehensive look at the guy with the gun.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Sheppard whispered back, out of the corner of his mouth.

Teyla shook her head but continued to look uncomfortable. He couldn't blame her. A short while ago she'd been in her village, living a normal life, as normal as it can be under the wraith threat, but still...this wasn't normal. They had left their world, gated to Atlantis and had to begin living with a different culture in an alien city. And now here they were, captured, by who knows what. He'd introduce her to ice cream if they got out of this, a way to make-up for it.

The rock walls smoothed out and bled into what looked like metal walls, smooth and gray. If a guy with a gun weren't escorting him, he would've been impressed at the architectural changes. They came up against a larger, solid metal door. The guy produced another key, and fiddled with the lock, opening the door and gesturing for them to go in. Sheppard nodded slightly, and ambled in, putting on a cocky front to keep from appearing weak.

They were in some type of control room. What looked like computer screens lined a wall straight ahead from the door, and more men, like the guy that escorted them to the room, were sitting and typing buttons. The inhabitants seemed almost on an Earth equivalent in regards to technology. The lights were kept low, a level that would irritate most people.

"This is incredible, the most advanced culture we've found out here." McKay was staring at the different consoles, a technological appreciation that Sheppard didn't share.

"Why are you here?" A voice spoke to their right.

Sheppard twisted, startled, another wave of queasiness reminding him sudden movements weren't a good idea. The guy speaking to them was tall, a few inches taller than him, but otherwise, he reminded Sheppard of his father. Slight gray streaks through the sideburns, a square face, jutted jaw; this guy was all business, his eyes cold and unfeeling.

"Uh, funny you should ask that." Sheppard stalled for time, trying to figure out the best approach.

"You came through the Stargate. That ground is off-limits. It is not permissible to use the Stargate." He intoned, voice flat, giving no ground.

"Yes...yes we did. That's what we do." He looked at McKay or Ford for a little help but they looked as lost as he felt, "We are peaceful explorer's...searching out new life...new civilizations." Okay, so maybe he was broaching some kind of copyright with that line, but he didn't think they'd be able to find him in a different galaxy, and it seemed appropriate.

The guy seemed to consider his words then nodded, "I am Brack, Commander of the Fifth Fleet. You are on the Fifth Continent on Azed."

"Nice to meet you Brack. I'm Major John Sheppard, uh, Commander of the Air Force..." He cringed, slight exaggeration, but he had a hunch that rank mattered here, and technically speaking, there wasn't any other military member of higher rank on the Atlantis force, making him Commander by default, at least in a stranded sort of way. "This is Teyla Emmagan, native consultant, Lieutenant Aiden Ford, my...underling...and Doctor Rodney McKay, Chief Scientist."

He saw Ford's mouth work in surprise. He waved his hands slightly below the waistline, hoping he'd catch on. He must have because he didn't say anything, but Sheppard knew he'd hear about it later.

"I see."

Sheppard knew he had been right. Brack seemed impressed. "What is all of...this?" John asked, curious.

"Our command post, Major John Sheppard. The Fourth Fleet and the Third are striking again. We've sought refuge below the surface. This is our underground level. We are safe here."

He seemed to say that to reassure Sheppard, as if he had doubts. John hadn't known of anything to be worried about, so it seemed like a moot point at this time. He nodded, "What happened to the area around the Stargate?"

Brack's face got even grimmer, as if that were possible, "The Third Fleet. They didn't want our people escaping through the Stargate. They decimated the land, irradiating it so it would be unsafe for our people to travel into the area."

McKay coughed, "Irradiated?"

"Yes...Doctor Mckay. The levels are low enough that you suffered no permanent damage."

"No _permanent_ damage?" McKay sputtered.

Sheppard wasn't comforted to hear any of this either, "That's why the guy was wearing the suit."

Brack nodded, "Yes."

"Why did you shoot us?" Ford asked.

"We didn't know who you were." Brack explained, turning his back on the team, and walking to the nearest console, "Look, here..." and he pointed at a red dot flashing, "This is the Stargate...near is the Third Fleet. When we noticed separate individual life-signs, we had hoped to capture stragglers for intelligence. Instead, we got you."

Sheppard figured Brack was still disappointed over that judging from how he said it, "Sorry." He said.

"Look, as much as this is very interesting, can we go now?" McKay interrupted.

Brack looked shocked by his question, "Of course not! You've seen our headquarters...we can't risk you exposing our operation."

Sheppard was in the process of getting ready to thank them for their time, and begin marching his team back home, when he realized what Brack had actually said, "What? We can't stay here."

Brack seemed a little sympathetic, which was saying a lot, but he shot down any hopes of this being a quick and easy mission, "I'm sorry, but I have to insist. For the immediate time, you will remain here, as our guests."

Sheppard took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second then opening them. This sucked. Worse than earlier, if that were possible. He looked at his team, and realized they were all feeling the same. It was at a time like this when he couldn't help but second McKay's standard _we're screwed_ statement. Things had just gotten a lot worse.


	4. Brainstorming

Author's Note: Here's the 4th chapter, thanks for the continued feedback. I'm getting more comfortable writing the characters. I guess the only way to learn is just to do. Plus, it helps that I've been rewatching episodes.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Brainstorming**

* * *

Shepard was watching McKay across the room. Rodney was in a chair, pumping one knee up and down, up and down...it was driving him nuts. They had been escorted to guest quarters, which were an improvement over the area they had been placed in initially. This room had one door, a table, four chairs, and a couple of beds. The furniture all reminded him of circa 1950's Earth, which struck him as creepy in an odd sort of way. Kind of like being transported back in time instead of in another galaxy on another planet.  
  
Shepard stood from the chair he had been sitting on. McKay's nervous energy needed to be directed into something helpful, instead of rocketing his knee off the chair every second. "Anyone have ideas?"  
  
McKay's knee stilled as he looked up, "Ideas?"  
  
"Yeah, you know, the kind that you can apply and solve problems with."  
  
"Cute. Really cute Major."  
  
Shepard grinned, but didn't comment. He turned to Teyla and Ford sitting in the other two chairs, raising an eyebrow expectantly.  
  
Teyla shook her head and continued to stare glumly at the table's surface. Ford was quiet but Shepard could see he was thinking, "Even if we did get out of here, how are we going to get back to the gate?"  
  
"Good question." Shepard said, wrinkling his forehead, "We could take one of them as hostage, make them _escort_ us to the gate."  
  
"Irradiated." McKay chimed.  
  
Ford tapped his vest, "No permanent damage." He repeated back.  
  
"I repeat, _irradiated_. Children are still on my agenda...eventually." McKay persisted.  
  
"Yeah, right." Shepard snorted. "Do the world a favor McKay, don't reproduce."  
  
"Funny."  
  
Shepard tilted his head and smiled again, "Teyla, do you know anything about these people?"  
  
She shook her head, "This was not one of the worlds we traded with. I have never heard of these people before today."  
  
The room was filled with a low rumbling. Three sets of eyes trained on McKay. "What? I'm hungry!" He said defensively.  
  
"Don't let us hold you back." Shepard offered wryly, indicating his pack with one hand. Their weapons had remained confiscated, but their packs had been returned, contents shifted indicating they had been rifled through.  
  
McKay's face lit up, the obvious had escaped him, and he dug in his pack. After about a minute of digging, he was muttering under his breath.  
  
"What?" Shepard asked.  
  
Rodney looked up from his pack, a mixture of disbelief and anger, "They took them."  
  
Shepard's grin fell, "What do you mean, they took them?"  
  
"What I said...the energy bars...they're gone." McKay's voice had raised a whole octave by the end of his sentence.  
  
The other three exchanged worried looks then began digging through their packs. After a couple of minutes everyone admitted defeat. All their food and water was gone.  
  
"This can't be good." Ford said.  
  
Shepard groaned, dropping back into the nearest chair, "All of this because of a stupid Frisbee."  
  
"And a large lump." McKay added wistfully, "Don't forget the _really_ large lump."  
  
"Yeah." Shepard echoed. "Really _big_ lump."  
  
They had fallen quiet after that revelation, the implications bothersome. They were solely dependent on their hosts for food, water and shelter with no idea how to get back to the gate. _Oh, and not to forget, they had arrived on a planet with an intercontinental war, nice_, Shepard thought.  
  
Everyone's thoughts were interrupted by another loud low rumbling; eyes riveted back on McKay.  
  
He raised his hands, "Not me!"  
  
Shepard and Ford shared a horrified look, "Oh shit!" Ford exclaimed, jumping up and running over to Teyla's location. Shepard headed for McKay. They grabbed them and started dragging them under the table, the only object that offered scant projection.  
  
"What the hell are you doing Major?" McKay hissed, but letting himself be pulled.  
  
"Duck!" Shepard ordered, as they dove under the table.  
  
The reason for Ford and Shepard's action became startling clear as the roof began to cave in and come crashing to the ground. Some type of siren was wailing in the background. The cement overhead came hurtling towards their hiding spot, the table buckling under the impact, and smashing down on the four individuals underneath. Their bodies slumped boneless under the weight, unconscious.

* * *

Shepard was hearing something. He couldn't figure out what it was. He tried to remember what had happened...where he was, but he couldn't. Every time he would get close, it'd slip away, an elusive visitor.  
  
Coughing...that's what he was hearing. Someone was coughing. That was something. Why would anyone be coughing? He struggled to figure out the information beginning to filter through his senses. He was cold...and heavy. _Heavy_? He felt an urgency to figure out the puzzle and he didn't know why.  
  
He cracked his eyes, and everything was dark. For a moment, he panicked, thinking he was blind, but as his eyes adjusted, he could see faint outlines of objects around him. It was only dark. _Why was it so dark_?  
  
He tried to push himself up, but a sharp pain shot up his right arm, and he bit his lip trying to not cry out. He didn't know why but he didn't think he should make any noise. He felt movement nearby, and that startled him more than anything. There was somebody with him.  
  
"Major, despite the coziness, could you..." McKay fought for his breath, "Get off me!"  
  
Shepard recognized the voice...McKay...the team...Atlantis. Memories were flooding back with alacrity, "Sorry." He grunted, and tried to roll off without using his right arm. A bit sloppy but it worked. The debris had shifted under their movements, leaving them mostly free.  
  
"Ford? Teyla?" Shepard called, wishing he had a flashlight.  
  
He was answered by more coughing then a tight voice, "Here...we're here." That was Ford.  
  
"How's Teyla?" Shepard asked.  
  
"She's unconscious. I think it's only a head injury."  
  
_Only_. A head injury in this situation could be lethal if it were severe. Shepard didn't voice his concern, morale was lagging as it was, their situation continued to deteriorate with every hour on this planet.  
  
"What happened?" He asked dumbly, still trying to put his addled thoughts back together.  
  
"What _happened_?" McKay repeated, "An explosion happened...right over our heads apparently."  
  
"Damn." Shepard knew they should be doing something but he wasn't sure what yet. He pushed himself free of the remaining debris with his good arm, and staggered up, "I can't see a thing."  
  
"Now what?" McKay asked from his place on the ground. Shepard could see a darker blob, which was probably Rodney, and he could make out two other darker blobs farther to the right of McKay, _Teyla and Ford_.  
  
"I'm open to ideas."  
  
He was met with silence. He guessed they were thinking, well, the awake members were thinking. Seconds stretched into minutes. He was getting ready to say something when McKay beat him to it.  
  
"Can't think of any."  
  
"That helps. Thanks so much."  
  
"I'm going to be sick."  
  
"McKay?" Shepard hoped he really wasn't going to be sick and it was just that drama part of him rearing its ugly head.  
  
"Really...if I go without eating too long, I get sick."  
  
"How did you ever get onto this expedition?" Shepard questioned crossly, it was bad enough with the status quo, he didn't need a puking hypoglycemic physicist on top of it all.  
  
"Shut up." McKay grouched back, really wishing he had an energy bar.  
  
"Oh, that's mature."  
  
"Both of you shut up!" Ford snapped then remembered whom he was talking to, "Sir."  
  
A distinctly female moan alerted them to Teyla's return to consciousness. Shepard started to walk forward, forgetting he couldn't see a thing in front of him, tripped and slammed to the ground, jarring his arm painfully. "Damn it!" He swore, fed up. None of this ever happened to him back in Antarctica...well, there had been the drone attack in the helicopter, but still, none of this compared.  
  
"You okay Major?" Ford asked, his voice partially contrite for snapping at him.  
  
Shepard closed his eyes, not like they were helping anything open anyway, "No...no I'm not all right. My arm's broken, we are trapped in an underground bunker of some alien group, in the middle of their war zone, it's dark as night, we all feel like shit, the gate area is who knows where, and _irradiated_, as McKay keeps reminding us, and I have no idea how the hell I'm going to get us home!"  
  
He finished his tirade and instantly regretted it. He should've kept his mouth shut. _Way to go, flyboy_, he thought angrily. "Sorry." He said hoarsely.  
  
"Don't worry about it." McKay muttered.  
  
Shepard remembered why he had been trying to move in the first place, looked in the general direction of Ford, "How is she?"  
  
"I am okay." Teyla spoke, her voice was shaky, but she did sound like she wasn't in any immediate danger.  
  
"Good." Shepard said. "That's...good."  
  
"Major." Ford whispered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's a light."  
  
Shepard strained to see what Ford was talking about. After a few seconds he could make out an area of lightness...lighter than where they were now at least. It suddenly occurred to him that the building, bunker, whatever, was eerily quiet. The sirens had quit blaring though he couldn't recall when. "Can everyone move?"  
  
Everyone could. They struggled to their feet; Ford having to support Teyla who definitely was suffering from a concussion. McKay had managed to not be sick, and Shepard was holding his arm awkwardly, trying to keep it from moving as much as possible.  
  
"Watch your step." He warned.  
  
"How are we supposed to do that? I can't see anything."  
  
"McKay." Shepard warned.  
  
"Okay, okay." 


	5. Perilous Path

Author's Note: Thanks thanks and thanks for the reviews!!! Did I mention thank you?

* * *

**Chapter Five  
  
Perilous Path**

* * *

"Ow! That was my foot McKay." Sheppard exaggerated his complaint for no other reason than he was feeling pissy. The light in the tunnel was close, deceptively close, because progress was hard-won in the dark, wrecked corridor. Without being able to see debris in their way, the group continued to inch forward, usually catching one or two of each other, as they tripped the way forward.  
  
McKay kept oddly quiet but Sheppard could feel the dirty look boring into his back. McKay had accidentally trod on the back of his heel, scraping downward with his boot. It hadn't really hurt, but snapping at the guy seemed to relieve some of the building irritation.  
  
"Are we there yet?" McKay whined, his frustration on level with Sheppard's.  
  
Sheppard muttered, "You don't need children McKay, you're all ready one."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said, I think there is only a few more meters to go." He said.  
  
He guessed someone heard his first comment because there was subdued snorts from ahead where Ford and Teyla were picking their way gingerly through the hall. McKay stiffened, "Is it just me...or are we getting snarkier by the minute?"  
  
"Snarkier?" Sheppard stopped his feet moving forward, "Is that a word?"  
  
"Snarkier...root snarky; to be crotchety, snappish." McKay supplied.  
  
"Really? I didn't know that. Thanks McKay." Sheppard gestured to the other dark blobs ahead, "We've got our own version of Reader's Digest 'build your vocabulary'." Sheppard paused a beat, "Okay..._that_ was snarky. Maybe there is something going on."  
  
"Aside from having no food or water in hours, being buried alive in a alien bunker, being injured...?" Ford drawled, speaking back towards the other two.  
  
"Good point." Sheppard had discounted the irritating ache that was constantly thrumming in the background of his nervous system, the broken arm reminding him constantly of his injury and setting his teeth on edge. It also didn't help that he was galled at being anything less than top condition when they needed every person functioning as well as possible.  
  
McKay seemed to digest Ford's explanation; he bobbed his head, "True. That probably explains a lot."  
  
"Nothing explains you..." Sheppard started to mutter, "Sorry!" He apologized after realizing how truly confrontational he was beginning to behave. "This is too much for irritation. Do you think it could be a product of our exposure to the radiation?"  
  
Ford was shaking his head, "I doubt it."  
  
"Great." Sheppard wrinkled his forehead, trying to concentrate, "Let's keep moving...and try to keep the comments to our selves. _Extraneous_ comments." He amended.

* * *

"We made it!" Ford crowed, as they reached the illuminated room. He guessed there was some kind of emergency lighting. They were back in the control room where they had met Brack earlier, and were surprised to find the room deserted, except for bodies that weren't going anywhere ever again.  
  
"Are they...?" McKay began, swallowing uncomfortably.  
  
"Dead." Sheppard confirmed. He nudged the nearest with a boot- _definitely dead_. He looked over at Teyla, "Are you okay?"  
  
She nodded, "I have seen death before Major Sheppard." But she didn't feel so good. She wanted to always portray the strong woman, who could care for herself, but her head ached abominably, and she couldn't help but be affected by the gruesome carnage in the room. "I'm fine."  
  
Sheppard didn't believe her, but he didn't persist, "Are any of these panels working?" He asked McKay.  
  
McKay had reverted to scientist mode, and ignoring the death littering the floor, he began checking displays they had seen previously. He frowned, and punched some more buttons, nothing, "Dead as a doornail Major."  
  
Sheppard growled, "That's what _we _are going to be McKay, if you can't figure something out."  
  
"Me? That's great. _You're_ the reason we're here in the first place."  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
Ford and Teyla were watching the men in fascination, "What the hell is wrong with you two?" Ford asked.  
  
Both swiveled to face Ford, "The only thing wrong with me is that I've got to baby-sit some prissy scientist." Sheppard said, disgusted.  
  
McKay turned around to face Sheppard, "Baby-sitting? If you were my baby-sitter, I'd fire you. We've been abducted, stunned..." McKay was turning a slight shade of red, "Did I mention bombed?"  
  
Sheppard was gearing up for a scathing reply when Teyla stepped forward, "Listen to yourselves, please. You don't mean these things."  
  
Ford surprised them all by grabbing Teyla on the arm, "They mean what they say. Why do you have to butt in anyway?"  
  
Now Sheppard was worried. He was feeling a sharp antagonism towards McKay, but not Teyla or Ford. He could see his behavior mirrored in Ford's response to Teyla. "Knock it off Ford, she's only trying to help."  
  
McKay spluttered, "Knock it off Ford? What about you, Major?"  
  
Sheppard fought for control. McKay was right. Something was wrong. They were bickering like juveniles. "Ford, switch places, you stick with McKay, I'll go with Teyla."  
  
Ford nodded, "Yes Sir."  
  
Sheppard walked over to Teyla while Ford headed over to McKay. "We need to get out of here."  
  
"Anything else less obvious?" McKay spouted sarcastically then grimaced, "Sorry...sorry."  
  
Sheppard sighed and bit back his reply; "None of this is getting us home. Does anyone see anything here that might help?"  
  
Ford had started to wander away, and kneeled beside a body, "Major! This one is alive."  
  
Sheppard's face rapidly went from worry to soldier-mode. He jumped over some debris, and knelt by the body. It was Brack. He barely recognized the man underneath the bloody mess of his head. How the man was alive was beyond him. He felt his pulse, weak, he wouldn't be alive for much longer.  
  
McKay and Teyla were watching, matching grim expressions painted on their faces. Everyone was shocked when the man being observed began groaning and shifting on the ground. Ford jumped back, while Sheppard leaned forward, "Brack?" He called. He was the only one alive they had found. He might be able to give them information on how to get out of here.  
  
The man opened his eyes slowly then blinked repeatedly, "What...where am I?" He asked, afraid.  
  
Ford glanced at Sheppard, who shrugged then said, "Brack...you're in your command post. It must've been attacked."  
  
Brack struggled for understanding. Sheppard could see the mental checklists being run through in the man's battered mind. Brack licked his lips, "I...I can't see. Who...are you?" He wheezed painfully.  
  
Sheppard rocked back on his heel, "We're the aliens you abducted from the Stargate." He debated whether it was the right thing to say, but by the looks of the guy, he didn't have long. If they didn't get straight to the point, they'd never find anything out.  
  
The man coughed, blood bubbling out of the corners of his mouth, "Stargate?" He closed his eyes. Sheppard and Ford exchanged looks, this wasn't good.  
  
Brack opened his eyes, windowless orbs that would never see again, "I'm...sorry."  
  
Sheppard grabbed the man's hand as it worked its way up, giving the dying man something solid to hold to, "How do we get back to the Gate?"  
  
"Not...far." More bloody froth boiled around his lips, "If...you can...outside is...a ship." He arched his back upwards, trying to escape the pain of collapsed lungs and internal injuries, "the...path....preprogrammed." He struggled to say more, but stilled under Sheppard's hands.  
  
"He's dead." Sheppard brushed his hand, bloody, against his pant leg, the tackiness a ghastly reminder.  
  
Ford got to his feet and extended a hand to the Major, "We know what to do now."  
  
"What?" McKay asked, still staring at the now dead Brack.  
  
"We find the ship." Sheppard said.

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" McKay asked from the rear of their group. They had headed off another corridor from the command room. It was scattered with more dead bodies and here and there an emergency light glowed in the doomed dust of the building.  
  
"No McKay, I'm not...do you have any better ideas?" Sheppard snapped. He was in the lead, and was feeling hot, dusty, tired and sore. And he hadn't mentioned to the others that he was concerned they might run into the enemy who had bombed this complex...unless they had all ready come through which would explain all the dead bodies. Of course, that implied something even worse; they weren't interested in taking prisoners like these guys had been.  
  
"Actually I do. Why don't we sit down and roast marshmallows and sing Kum-Ba-Yah."  
  
Sheppard had the sudden urge to throttle McKay, "We can roast you and I'd definitely sing Kum-Ba-Yah."  
  
"Sir!" Ford admonished.  
  
McKay smiled, "See, even Ford agrees with me."  
  
Ford smiled, "I object to the choice of song. I think Waltzing Matilda would be more appropriate."  
  
"You are all experiencing poor behavior." Teyla observed, growing increasingly worried about their aggression.  
  
"Oh, like you're not." McKay snorted.  
  
"I am not."  
  
Sheppard paused, "She's right."  
  
"What?" McKay looked at Teyla then back to Sheppard, realization dawned on him, "All of us have been affected, except Teyla."  
  
Ford swore, "We haven't seen any women."  
  
Teyla understood, "Do you believe that is why they are destroying themselves in battle?"  
  
Sheppard was nodding, "It would explain a lot. This is a problem."  
  
McKay glared, "More of a problem than what we've got now?"  
  
"Yes McKay, more of a problem." Sheppard stalked back towards the physicist, "Say we find our way back to the gate, we are experiencing symptoms of a possible alien disease. We risk bringing it back to Atlantis."  
  
McKay deflated, "That's a problem."  
  
"We can be quarantined." Ford said.  
  
"We don't know how it spreads." Sheppard argued, but realized they didn't have a lot of choice. A team from Atlantis couldn't come here, and they couldn't stay, which left them with few options. "We'll have to risk it."  
  
His decision was met with silence. No one was happy to be potentially carrying back a disease that was all but destroying this planet, if that's what it was. It could be anything. Sheppard headed back to the front and started forward again. They had been making progress, and he hoped it wouldn't be much more to get out of here.  
  
He didn't hear Teyla come up behind him, "You are unwell?"  
  
He kept moving forward, "What makes you say that?"  
  
"You're sweating."  
  
He was, he could feel it snaking down his face and back, "It's not important."  
  
She didn't say anything but he could feel her sizing him up; his condition, his ability to continue to lead this mission. Teyla wasn't leader of her people for nothing. It was one of the reasons why he had agreed to her being on his team. "I'll make it." He assured her after a few moments.  
  
He could see a door ahead, "There's something up here." He called back to the others, approaching the door with caution.  
  
He waved Ford to the right and Teyla to stay behind him. He listened at the door, which wasn't exactly easy with McKay huffing behind him. He cracked the door, and when there wasn't any movement, shots or any other commotion, he pulled it open further and inched out into what was definitely daylight. The glare cost him. He heard the soft whine of the weapon before he found himself flat on his back, staring up at an alien that he guessed were the enemies of those that had caught them initially. It was a different uniform, and the guy looked pissed at seeing someone alive come out of the bunker. He was taking aim to shoot again, when Ford tackled him with a flying leap, and pounded a fist into his face, slamming the guys head back against the ground.  
  
Sheppard tried to tell Ford enough, but found it was hard to get his mouth to work, "F...rd. En..gh." _God, he was going to be sick_.  
  
Teyla restrained Ford, who was looking at the bloody pulp with horror. He had beaten the guy to within an inch of his life. He shook his head, not knowing where all the hate had come from, "I...I don't know...what happened."  
  
Sheppard did. It appeared whatever was causing them to bicker, also produced a serious reaction against the enemy. Now he could really understand why this planet was at each other's throats. "Not..." He couldn't finish, the bile rising in the back of his throat. He grimaced, and fought for control of his stomach. _Those weapons packed a nasty punch_.  
  
"Major?" McKay was kneeling beside him, _when did he do that_, and the concern for him must be overriding any hostility, because he actually seemed worried.  
  
"I'm...okay." He managed to say, rolled to his stomach, and began to push himself up. Strong hands on each side helped him to his feet- Ford and McKay. Teyla was looking at him like she expected him to croak any minute.  
  
"Look!" Ford shouted, pointing to their left, were the same ship they had seen when they had first gated to the planet, was resting easily on a grass-covered dirt.  
  
"You think you can figure it out McKay?" Sheppard was not going to take anything less than a positive response.  
  
McKay was back in his element, "From what I saw of the tech in the bunker, it seems an interesting mixture of advanced..."  
  
"_McKay_." Sheppard interrupted.  
  
"Yes." McKay answered, sheepish.  
  
"Then let's do it." He started towards the ship, stumbled, shrugged off Teyla's offer of help, and made it to the door without falling on his face, which was probably good because if he jarred his arm one more time he'd scream like a little girl, and wouldn't be embarrassed for it.  
  
He punched what looked like the control for the hatch, and it hissed open, inviting them in. He hoped there were seats...nice, big, comfy seats. He could let McKay worry about getting them out of here for a while at least.  
  
"Major!" Teyla shouted, and Sheppard didn't like the tone. Bad news. _What, was it Friday the thirteenth, and some one had forgotten to tell him?_ "What?"  
  
She pointed in the sky. He struggled to see what she apparently saw. He squinted into the glare...there! A silver speck approaching, _crap_, he grabbed McKay with his good arm, and dragged him to the hatch, "Work fast."  
  
McKay gulped, "Yeah..." And ducked in, followed by Ford and Teyla. Sheppard entered last, shutting the door behind them. 


	6. Home Sweet Home

Author's note: I made it! Hope you enjoy the final chapter of this story, and thank you for R&R, feedback keeps me going some days, truly.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Home Sweet Home**

* * *

"Mckay?" Sheppard said, his eye twitching.

McKay was working furiously at a console, his attention fixated on the display. He mumbled to himself and continued punching different buttons.

"McKay?" Sheppard called again, peering out what was a window, though from the outside you couldn't tell it was there. The silver speck was approaching fast. Teyla was seated next to Sheppard, who was half standing on his seat, and Ford was up by McKay watching his desperate attempt at figuring out the alien technology.

"_McKay!" _

"I'm trying!" McKay snapped.

"Try _harder_." Sheppard said.

"Yes!" McKay crowed, and pushed three buttons in a row. The ship hummed to life, all four occupants exchanging relieved looks.

"He said it was pre-programmed." Ford said, looking at the display and waiting.

"Pre-programmed, but what if you've got to initiate the program." Sheppard said, checking the enemy ship's approach. It was getting closer.

McKay was muttering something then stabbed a button. Sheppard could have swore he heard something along the lines of _eeny, meeny, miny...moe_, but whatever McKay had done, something worked, because the ship was rising into the air.

Sheppard had just released the pent up air in his lungs, when the ship arced in the sky and started heading towards the approaching enemy ship, "Uh-oh."

McKay turned green, "I didn't do that."

"Yes, you _did_." Sheppard headed towards the controls and studied the display, "Relax, it's heading to the Stargate, look..." He pointed to a read-out that looked a lot like the one Brack had shown them in the bunker before. "Remember the Third Fleet were approaching from the area around the Gate, it makes sense."

"That doesn't help us get rid of the bogey coming straight at us Major!" Ford shouted, as everyone realized they were almost upon the other ship.

"Now would be a good time for weapons control." Sheppard said, staring at Rodney.

McKay looked at the ship, and back at Sheppard, "It'll be a miracle if I figure it out in time."

"Try anyway."

McKay started punching more buttons, it almost seemed like a random desperate attempt, and if it was, Sheppard wasn't going to ask. The ship rocked under a blast from the other enemy craft. Sheppard fell into Teyla, the impact jarring his arm painfully.

She tried to help right him, but ended up causing him to slide to the floor, "Sorry."

Before Sheppard could form a reply, the ship rocked again, violently, throwing Teyla on top of Sheppard. This time she hit his arm straight on, and he couldn't help the grunt of pain from escaping.

Teyla paled, "Are you okay?" She whispered, frantic.

"No...no I'm not. Now...get...off!" He shoved her up and away, probably rougher than necessary, but his frayed temper was reaching the limit.

"Got it!" McKay shouted, and they heard the ship jerk with the recoil of weapons fire.

Sheppard crawled to his knees, peering out the window, to see the opposing ship take a direct hit in the front. "Way to go McKay!"

"Major, the Gate!" Ford pointed where they could see the dead zone of the Gate area appearing up ahead. They could see a tall speck sticking up from the ground that could only be the Stargate.

The ship shuddered, seemed to tilt, then right itself; Teyla, Sheppard and Ford turned their eyes on McKay, who was looking like something very bad had just happened. "That's not good." He said.

"Do something." Sheppard said, voice low and deceptively calm.

"What?" McKay shouted, "Get out and push?"

"If it would help!" Sheppard shouted back.

"Major, the other ship, it's gaining." Ford indicated the display showing the red blip that they had passed after scoring the direct hit.

Sheppard groaned, _things couldn't possibly get worse_, he thought. The ship tilted again, haphazardly, and flew drunkenly downwards, the desolate ground rushing towards them at an alarming speed. Sheppard only had time to think that hitting the ground was going to hurt...a lot, when the ship pulled up a small amount, just enough for the nose to skim the ground and it to come in on it's belly, _must be an auto safety mechanism_, Sheppard thought, before the impact sent him flying forward.

* * *

"Major..."

Someone was calling his name, but he didn't want to get up. He was tired. He wanted to sleep and never ever get up.

"Major...get..._up_!" Hands shoved him roughly, but they were mostly ineffective, his bulk falling back into its original location. "You're crushing me!"

The panic got through his dulled senses, and he opened his eyes to find himself staring in McKay's. He jumped back so fast he almost passed out. "What the hell happened?"

"We crashed." McKay said dryly, trying to clamber to his feet and finding it harder than he thought.

"Teyla? Ford?" Sheppard remembered the other members of his team, and looked around the smoldering wreckage, seeing their bodies lying limp in the back of the ship.

He pushed himself up, and struggled to their side. He checked both and found them alive, but knocked unconscious. He shook Ford, gently at first, then harder when he failed to respond, "Ford!" No response, "_Lieutenant_!" He called louder and was rewarded with a groan.

"This isn't the time for sleeping Lieutenant, we've got to get out of here."

Ford struggled to regain awareness, and while he was occupied with that, Teyla woke, jumping up in a sudden rush of panic, "Where are we?" She said, her posture and tone betraying the surge of adrenaline through her system.

Sheppard grinned, "Do you always wake up like that?"

"Like what?" She regarded him sharply.

"Raring to go."

She frowned, not certain if he was teasing her or being sincere. "Did we crash?" She asked, instead of answering.

"Yes, spectacularly." Sheppard decided Ford and Teyla were mobile enough, but McKay was still down.

"McKay?"

"My leg." He grimaced, "I think it's...punctured."

"Punctured?" _What kind of person used punctured_, Sheppard thought, but he headed over, trying to not let exhaustion sap him back to the ground. They had to get out of here. They were well within the irradiated zone; hopefully close enough to the Stargate that it wouldn't be a long walk.

He looked at the area McKay was holding and saw that punctured _was_ probably the best word. A thin metal rod from somewhere was sticking out of his leg. McKay was staring at it, looking white as a sheet, and dripping sweat, "I don't like things sticking out of me." He said weakly.

"Ford!" Sheppard called, "We've got to help McKay. He's got...something...stuck in his leg."

Ford had moved up and let out a low whistle, "Ouch."

"Could you stop looking like it's the freak show at the local carnival." McKay grouched, surprised that he hadn't _fainted_.

"We should go." Teyla said, reminding them of the dire situation.

Ford reached under McKay's arm, and helped him lever himself to his feet. "You okay?" He asked.

"As okay as one can be with a piece of metal stuck in them."

"Let's go!" Sheppard called, and headed towards the hatch, which was half-open from the impact. They managed to get out of the ship without more disaster, and could make out the Stargate probably a mile ahead. _It'd be a long trip, but they could do it_, Sheppard figured.

Teyla was scanning the land in front of them, "There's something there."

Sheppard could see what Teyla was referring to. Smoke was rising from the ground, and he could see an outline of something jumbled on the horizon. "I see it."

"The other ship?" Ford theorized, looking at Sheppard.

Sheppard nodded, "Probably." He looked back to the crumpled mess of their ship, looked a lot like what they were seeing ahead, he hoped in their case, there wasn't any survivors. They were unarmed, defenseless, and would have no way of hiding their approach.

"Let's go." He said, and began leading the way.

They walked in silence; the only sound was McKay's grunts with every step. The closer they got, the more they realized that the other ship must have gone down right at the Stargate. Sheppard hadn't voice his concern of the Gate being damaged. He'd leave the doom talk to McKay.

"You are getting worse." Teyla observed.

McKay and Ford were behind them, leaving the two free members to lead the group. Sheppard knew he was getting worse, he had hoped it wouldn't show. His arm was aching to the point where he'd almost cut it off to get rid of the constant pain. He didn't have the energy to deny the obvious, "I'll live."

Teyla nodded, and kept walking. They started encountering debris from the enemy ship when they were about forty feet from the gate. It was violently strewn about, and broken into charred bits of metal and electronic circuitry. This crash had been harder, and he didn't think they'd find any survivors, which was something he had hoped for, though now viewing the scattered mess, he felt a little guilty for his earlier thought.

They found the bulk of the ship lying ten feet from the DHD. "That was close." Sheppard said, chalking _another_ disaster that had almost happened. He was surprised that they were even alive at this point. The good news, he hadn't felt the overwhelming irritation and aggression since they had crashed. He wondered if it was a localized thing. Beckett could figure it out when they got back, God knows he'd have plenty of time; they were mostly incapacitated and would be for weeks thanks to this excursion.

"Teyla, dial Atlantis." He ordered, walking over and poking at a large piece of metal with his foot.

Teyla circled the dialing device and began punching the coordinates. Ford and McKay balanced beside the DHD, McKay looking even worse than before, the trek to the gate causing his leg to bleed heavily. Sheppard continued to poke around the wreckage, not entirely sure why, but he was surprised when the metal he was poking slipped to the side, and revealed a very angry enemy pointing one of those pistols at him.

The guy was clearly wounded, blood slicking his hands, and his grip, "You don't want to do that." Sheppard said, worried that the guy _did_ want to do that. He'd been shot three times by those pistols and each successive hit left him feeling worse.

The alien's arm wavered. He blinked, a trickle of blood dripping off his eyebrow ridge, and dropping onto his cheek. He dropped the weapon, and slumped to the ground. Sheppard relaxed, not believing he was still standing. He'd thought the guy was going to do it, there for a second, he thought he'd be the one going toes up this time around.

He studied the alien. It was just a kid, probably no more than a teenager from the looks of him. If they left him here, he'd die. If they took him back...he still might die from the looks of his injuries. Would he hate them for taking him from his world? He could always return, once he recovered. Sheppard debated, uncertain what to do. This alien had tried to kill them.

"Major?" Ford called, standing at the edge of the Gate, waiting to walk through.

Sheppard nudged the boy with his foot, "It's just a kid!"

No one knew what to say. They suspected what he was debating, but knew the decision was ultimately his to make. "Teyla, give me a hand." He called. He couldn't leave the kid to die, not like this.

* * *

"Major Sheppard?" Doctor Weir was standing at the base of the stairs, watching in fascinated disbelief as McKay and Ford limped over to a clear spot and dropped to the floor, while Sheppard and Teyla led an injured alien, supported between the two, noticing Sheppard's rumpled pasty appearance.

Sheppard winced as he and Teyla eased the boy down, "We could use some help." He tried not to holler as his arm moved despite his best attempts at keeping it still.

"Get a medical team, now!" Weir ordered, approaching the battered group.

"Don't...don't come any closer. We've been exposed to...more than one possible contagion." Sheppard said, finally giving up staying on his feet, and sat down as carefully as possible, half-falling in the process.

"Get a haz-mat team in here and quarantine the Gate area." Weird said, not flinching, but he could tell she wanted answers, and wanted them yesterday.

Too bad, he thought dimly, as he could tell his hold on consciousness was evaporating, "Friday... the 13th..." He whispered, and his eyes rolled up into his head, as he slumped sideways to the floor, thankfully for him, on his left side.

Weir stood rooted to the spot, not believing what had just happened. She looked at Sheppard passed out, McKay had a huge metal rod sticking out of his leg, Ford looked...he just looked like hell, and Teyla had a huge knot on her head and looked a little green...and then the alien...not more than a boy from the looks of him, and also injured. _What the hell had happened? _

* * *

Sheppard floated in a haze of drugged sleep. He felt good. He wasn't angry, tired, or filled with a constant ache. He could hear the murmur of voices talking around him and figured it was some time during the day. He had no idea how long he'd been out, and he didn't really care.

"Major?" A voice called.

Sheppard pretended he didn't hear. He kept his eyes closed and drifted. He must have fallen back asleep because next time he woke he could tell it was night in the infirmary. There was a hushed quiet to the night, a lack of noise that signaled the normal run of people and machinery were on stand-by. This time he didn't wake up feeling floaty and pleasant, just the opposite. His arm was aching terribly, probably what woke him up, and he felt hot and sweaty. He shifted, restless, trying to get in a more comfortable position where his arm wasn't hurting so badly.

"Major?" That same voice as earlier called to him again. This time he responded, and cracked his eyes, surprised to see Beckett hovering over.

"Beckett?" His voice was scratchy.

"How do you feel Major?" He asked, noting the creased lines of pain standing out sharply on his forehead.

"Like crap." Sheppard didn't mince words.

Beckett settled into the chair beside him, "I imagine you are. That arm was a mess."

"How're the others?"

"Good, McKay had to have minor surgery, we patched up the hole. Teyla has a concussion, but she's resting comfortably. Ford was exhausted, dehydrated, I sent him to his quarters after making sure he could eat and drink."

"The boy?"

Beckett frowned, "He's not so good. Had some nasty internal injuries. It'll be a long recovery."

"But he'll recover?" Sheppard pressed, wincing against another wave of pain.

"I think so."

Sheppard was aching so bad he wondered if someone had busted his other arm. It felt like the pain had spread everywhere. Beckett stood and withdrew something from the pocket of his coat, "Rest Major, we'll talk more tomorrow." He injected something into Sheppard's IV, and within seconds he felt the drugs begin easing the pain. He closed his eyes and drifted, held again in the sweet hand of morpheus.

* * *

"I see you're doing better."

Sheppard looked up from the magazine he was reading. Ford had leant him his copy of MAD Magazine. Stupid really, but he could use the jokes. "Yes, I am." He said, smiling.

"Carson says you'll be fine in a few weeks, McKay too." Weir pulled a chair alongside his bed, and sat down, studying the Major carefully, "Are you sure your okay?"

Sheppard debated on how to reply. He knew she was worried, and after almost taking her head off with that Ancient device, he'd have to say she obviously cared enough to not hold it against him, but he didn't want her feeling guilty over the disastrous mission that she had sent them on, as a form of payback. She had no way of knowing what was going to happen. The initial MALP telemetry hadn't picked up the low levels of radiation, and Doctor Beckett had confirmed the levels had fallen low enough to not present any potential health risks, and as the area looked like a wasteland, no one had considered the area could be dangerous.

He smiled, a crooked grin to hide the deep thoughts running through his mind, "I am."

Weir studied him, but didn't press the issue, "Did Carson tell you the boy is going to make it?"

"Yes, he did."

"The boy asked for asylum...he wants to stay in Atlantis." Weir said.

Sheppard was surprised...at least a little. He knew the Athosians had been okay with leaving their world, but the Wraith breathing down their necks had made that decision a little easier. This kid was going to give up on everything he had ever known.

"He also said he thinks he knows what is causing the aggression in the men on the planet."

"Really?" Sheppard wanted to hear this.

"Pollen." Weir announced, watching as John reacted in much the same way she had earlier.

"Pollen?" Sheppard shook his head, "You've got to be kidding me? They are beating the crap out of each other because of...flowers?"

"Brings new meaning to _death by roses_."

Sheppard groaned, "That was bad."

Weir tilted her head, and got up, "You should rest."

"I've been resting."

"Rest more." Weir began walking towards the door, and looked back, "Major?"

Sheppard looked at her, "What?"

"Stop bringing strays home. We're going to run out of room." Weir shot a parting grin, and ambled out of the room, leaving Sheppard staring bemused at the empty door.

McKay snorted from his bed, proving he had been listening in to their conversation. John wrinkled his forehead, and shifted back against the pillow, "I don't bring home strays." He said, to no one in particular, "They follow me home."

THE END


End file.
